The Ironic Truth
by Illeana Starbright
Summary: Or what Dean doesn't know about Stanford. Sam went to college to escape the supernatural. Therefore the supernatural found him. May become an eventual AU.
1. Freshman Year I

Author's Note: This is what happens when I'm bored at 3 in the afternoon in English. Well not this directly but you get the picture. This may eventually be an AU story but I haven't decided yet. This story also may skip around in time some. Reviews or suggestions would be appreciated. Also if someone wants to beta this (I'm only half way through season one on netflix so I may screw things up) please let me know! I could use the help. I own nothing of Supernatural you recognize.

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_September 20th/21st 2000_

He stepped on to campus and felt a wash of panic. _What am I doing here?_ his nervous mind shrieked. _You could go back. Apologize to Dad and Dean. Dad wouldn't be happy but he'd get over it an Dean would be pleased._ For a moment Sam Winchester almost gave into the voices. Then he remembered that going back meant hunting and that if he didn't want to chase after things that went bump in the night and argue with Dad and run credit card scams for the rest of his life he had to make this work. He squared his shoulders and headed for admissions. The building was packed with students getting and comparing their official college schedules. For the first time in a while Sam was actual glad he was tall; it allowed him to see over the crowd so he could attain his schedule.

He was making his way out when he bumped into the girl. She was slim and blond and he almost knocked her over. "Sorry," he apologized, flushing slightly as he realized he had almost run over a pretty girl. He could almost hear Dean saying, _Nice job Sammy_ and see his brother rolling his eyes.

"It's not your fault," the girl said, blushing also. "It's just so crowded in here." She clutched her schedule in one hand and her messenger bag was held tight at her side with the other. She hesitated a moment, smiling up at him, and then said, "I'm Jessica Moore but you can call me Jess."

"Sam Winchester," he said.

"Aww," another voice suddenly cooed. "Jessie has a crush already." Jessica turned to shot an ugly, and decidedly embarrassed, look at the newcomer. It was a girl almost identical to Jessica in looks except that her hair was short and caramel colored.

"Rin," Jessica complained, sounding exasperated.

"What?" the other girl asked, grinning cheekily at Sam. "I would totally tap that."

"Slut," Jessica said, wrinkling her nose.

"Whore," the other girl shot back cheerfully.

"Look Rin," Jessica said in an exasperated tone. "There's Jaime. Go bother him."

"Later," the girl said, waving as she vanished into the crowd.

"I'm sorry," Jessica apologized. "That was my twin sister, Karin. She's a bit of a pain at times."

"Not a problem," he said. "I have an older brother so I understand, completely." Jessica giggled and then they both stood there awkwardly.

"Well," Jessica said after a moment. "See you later." Then she vanished into the crowd. Sam shook his head and after a moment he followed her outside into the California sunshine. The quad outside was pure chaos. Jessica had vanished into the crowd and once again Sam was alone. He found his way to his dorm alone. There was no one in the room yet so he settled on a bunk on the left wall and was settling in when the door opened. A burly young man entered the room. His hair was a flaxen blond and his eyes were brilliant blue, almost too blue to be natural. He looked like some of the linebackers in several of the high schools Sam had attended; not incredibly tall but definitely muscular.

"Hey," he said and Sam nodded once at the guy before going back to organizing his things. Luckily the knives and the handgun had been put away before his roommate, as evident by the bags the guy was holding, arrived. The guy dumped his stuff on the other bed and glanced over at Sam. "I'm James but you can call me Jaimie." _Jaime_. The name of the guy Jessica had mentioned to her sister.

"Sam," he offered, pulling a friendly smile from somewhere.

"Nice to meet you," Jaimie returned with a voice that just oozed friendliness. That just made Sam's initial dislike of the guy worse. There's was something about Jaimie that bothered him. After a moment, evidently deciding that Sam wasn't going to speak, Jaimie began to unpack. Sam refrained from letting out a sigh of relief and escaped as soon as possible. He wandered the campus until he spotted Jaimie walking with Karin and Jessica. Then he went back to the dorm to finish the last of his unpacking.

Jaimie was still out when he went to sleep that night. The next morning at eight the burly boy was there sound asleep. Sam strove not to wake him as he prepared for his morning Anatomy class. To his pleasant surprise he knew two people in his Anatomy class; Jessica and Karin Moore. Jessica smiled at him and waved him over. She looked bright eyed but Karin was clutching a coffee cup and slumping in her seat. "Remind me again why I signed up for this class," she groaned.

"Because you need it for your major," Jessica said patiently. "Drink your coffee Rin. Good morning Sam."

"Good morning," he replied almost shyly. That was when class started and there was no time for talking or even for Karin to drink her coffee because the lecture had started and they needed to take notes. And that was just the first day.


	2. Freshman Year II

_September 24th-27th 2000_

It was three days into his freshman year at Stanford when the first call came. Karin had come to drag Jaimie out an hour ago and Sam was working on an English essay when his phone buzzed. One look at the number told him who it was. _Dean_. He hesitated, hand hovering over the phone. A little voice in his head whispered that if he actually picked up the phone and talked to his older brother he'd break down. He left the phone and went back to English.

The next call came a day later while he was in Advanced Calculus. When he checked his phone after the class the only update was a missed call from Dean. He put his phone away and instead of calling he enjoyed and afternoon with Jessica, Karin, and Jaimie. Despite the initial creep out Jaimie had turned out to be all right. He was pretty laid back and despite having received a full ride scholarship for football he was incredibly smart. He was going to be a Physics major and when he wasn't studying he was spending time with Karin, his girlfriend.

The third call came at just after nine the following night. Karin had convinced the others to come to some party and now Sam was standing awkwardly on the fringe with Jess. The feel of the cell phone buzzing in his pocket made him jump. He pulled it up and saw Dean's number. He smiled ruefully. This kind of scene was more Dean's than Sam's. Tears prickled in his eyes and by the time he pushed them Dean had already hung up. That was when Karin pushed through the crowd with an ugly scowl on her face. Jaimie followed, obviously holding down laughter. "Let's get out of here," Karin snapped and neither Jess nor Sam argued although they sent mystified glances in Jaimie's direction.

"A drunk guy spilled part of his beer down her shirt," Jaimie explained as they shoved their way out of the crowd. After Karin changed they ended up in Jaimie and Sam's dorm room eating popcorn and watching old cartoons until just after midnight when both girls stumbled out and headed back to their dorm. The boys stayed up an hour longer before finally drifting off to sleep. By then any thoughts of calling Dean back had long faded.

_October 21st 2000_

Sam wasn't sure how it had happened but a month had passed since he had come to Stanford. He woke that morning staring at the ceiling and feeling out of sorts. He had gone a month without arguing with Dad or hearing Dean's voice. A month without hunting monsters (though he had used the typical protections on the room). On a whim he reached for his phone and dialed Dean's number. It rang seven times and gave him the answering service. Sam hung up. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway.

Instead he spent his free time during the day with Rin, Jess, and Jaimie. "Oh just ask her out already," Rin exploded suddenly in the middle of their lunch at a local sub shop. Patrons stared, Jaimie choked on his pop, and Sam and Jess flushed bright red.

"Is it really that obvious?" Jess asked in a squeak after a glare from Rin sent the patrons back to their meals and the workers back to their jobs.

"Yes," Karin and Jaimie said in unison. Jess glared at her twin and Sam worked on thinking of nothing so he would stop blushing. Finally he gave in and shot a mock glare at Rin as well.

"Some days I really hate you," he informed her and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Love you too," she chirped, standing. "Come on Jaimie. Let's leave the lovebirds in peace." She tugged her boyfriend out of the shop, leaving Sam and Jess to spend the rest of the day together. And in the end he did ask her out.


	3. Freshman Year III

Author's Note: Thanks to _CarnivorousOak _(I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this. I did go back a little in this chapter to explain why they started hanging out after the first meeting though. Let me know if you spot anything else or have any ideas!) for reviewing the last chapter. I own nothing of Supernatural you recognize.

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_October 31st 2000_

Sam Winchester had never been particularly fond of Halloween. He had informed Jess of this the week before but somehow it hadn't sunk in to his new girlfriend. She had been a little upset that he refused to attend the Halloween party that one of the freshmen boys was throwing but she had called an hour ago to say she was going with Meredith (her roommate), Karin, and Leslie (Karin's roommate) and she would be back in her dorm around one. That was when he was surprised that a wild eyed Jess flew into his dorm room. She was dressed as an angel in a modest but beautiful white dress and feather white wings that were now covered with mud. She was shaking like crazy and looked as if she were about to cry. "There's s-something w-w-wrong with K-karin," she stammered out.

"What do you mean?" he asked, holding Jess's shaking form in his arms.

"She f-fell down and just s-started shaking and w-w-when I t-tried to h-h-help her she screamed at me to get a-away," Jess sobbed against his shoulder. That was when Sam knew something was seriously wrong. Karin had never screamed, not once. Not even when one of the sophmore girls had dumped her drink all over Rin's hair _and _her just completed Anatomy homework. He glanced at the door, wondering if he should leave Jess alone, and noticed Jaimie standing there looking helpless and lost.

"Why don't you stay with Jaimie," he said gently. "I'll go check on Rin and get help if she needs it." Jess nodded and sank down on his bed, still crying. Sam said a silent prayer of thanks that he had a pocket knife, grabbed his flashlight, and bolted out the door, leaving Jaimie and Jess behind.

The sky was black as pitch, a full moon glowing in the sky. The wind that flew at him was mild but he shivered anyway. A full moon. He hoped that the moon didn't have anything to do with Rin's problem. He wasn't sure he could kill one of his best friends for being a werewolf. He headed for the quad where the Halloween party was supposed to be held. There was plenty of loud rap music and wild lights but no sign of Rin anywhere. His stomach was twisting and worry was gnawing at his insides as he turned and headed between buildings. He was at the edge of the campus when he saw them; two lamp like golden eyes staring at him.

"Rin?" The words escaped him before he could stop them and the shadow whined. He shined the flashlight in the right direction and the wolf shied back. It was the size of a German Shepherd with a glossy brown coat almost the same color as Karin's caramel hair. "Jess is worried about you." He got another whine in response but when he stepped forward the wolf backed up a step, baring it's teeth in warning. "It's all right Rin. I'm not going to hurt you." This time when he stepped forward Rin growled and backed up rapidly.

Sam flinched and backed up a couple steps. Rin took advantage of that to vanish into the shadows once again. Realizing he couldn't do anything about Rin now, Sam turned and headed back toward the dorm. His mind struggled to come up with something to tell Jess but he try as he might he couldn't come up with a good excuse. Luckily both Jaimie and Jess were sound asleep when he returned to the dorm so he didn't have to lie.

_November 1st 2000_

He woke up far too early the next morning to see Rin come into the room wearing jeans and a lavender shirt. There were dark circles under her eyes and she smiled at him tightly. Sam opened his mouth to ask a question (he wasn't sure which question would come out first) when Jess stirred and woke. "Rin?" she asked groggily.

"Here Jessie," Rin replied tiredly. Jess's eyes snapped open and she jerked upright, staring at her sister.

"What happened last night?" Jess demanded. "Why were you so freaked out?"

"It was just a joke," Rin said with a teasing smile. Sam could tell the smile was forced but Jess was too outraged by Rin's comment to notice.

"_A JOKE?"_ Jess shrieked.

"Yeah," Rin drawled lazily. "Calm down Jessie."

"Don't tell me to _calm down_," Jessica snarled, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I thought you were _dying_." By this time Jaimie had woken and was looking sleepily between the two arguing sisters.

"Don't fight," he slurred tiredly and Jess glared at him.

"Shut up!" she snarled at him and he blinked, looking stunned.

"I didn't mean for you to take it so seriously," Rin said quickly.

"Take it seriously?" Jess asked in an incredulous tone. "I thought you were dying!"

"Jessie-" Rin began hopelessly.

"GET OUT!" Jess shrieked. Rin went.

A sinking feeling began to form in Sam's stomach. Rin had been the one to pull the group together in the beginning. She had come all but skipping into he and Jaimie's room while they were still unpacking, taking one look at the obvious care they were taking in not talking to each other, and starting laughing. "You guys-" she had gasped out "are ridiculous!"

"Rin," Jaimie had complained, sounding exasperated as Karin leaned against the doorway to support herself because she was laughing so hard.

"_Jaimie_," she had shot back cheerfully. "Honestly have you even introduced yourself?" Neither one of them answered. Instead Jaimie glanced at Sam and rolled his eyes.

"My girlfriend," he had told Sam. "She and her sister are twins and I ended up with the crazy one."

_"Hey!_" Karin had protested and from behind her there came some light laughter.

"Lay off Rin," Jess had said. "Otherwise Sam will think you're crazy and you'll scare him off." Karin had rolled her eyes and that and despite Jess's warning she hadn't acted any different than she did every other day. From that point on Rin had been the sun around which their worlds revolved. She kept them together and around her Jaimie was a different person, more laid back and less formal and sickly sweet. Without Rin Sam wasn't sure their friendship would survive.


	4. Freshman Year IV

_November 3rd 2000_

Jess still wasn't talking to Rin. It had been three days and Jess wasn't talking to Rin. Meredith and Leslie reported that she wouldn't even talk about Rin. Even Sam couldn't convince her to talk about Rin. The girl in question was avoiding Jess, not making matters any better. That meant Sam hadn't had a chance to talk to her. He did talk to Jaimie about Rin. "She's really broken up about it," the burly boy said. "Crying whenever I mention it. She won't go talk to Jess though. Keeps mumbling about how it's her choice and all that crap." Then he had left for football practice. That left Sam to attempt to find Rin and talk to her.

While he searched for the caramel haired girl he contemplated Rin, trying to reconcile the girl he knew with the girl he had seen on Halloween. Rin was the real reason Sam, Jaime, and Jess all got along with each other. Without her their little group would have fallen apart the moment the met. Jaime and Sam still didn't completely trust each other and Jess obviously barely put up with Jaime (and only because he was Rin's boyfriend) but when Rin was around they all were on friendly terms. That was why her sudden betrayal in Jess's eyes was so devastating to them all. He and Jaime were barely on speaking terms at the moment and Jess was distraught, lashing out at everyone from Meredith and Leslie to Jaime and Sam at the smallest provocation.

He spotted Rin sitting under a tree in the quad wearing Jaime's Letterman jacket. He didn't call out to her. Every time he had done so before Rin had left without a backward glance. Instead he walked over and sat down next to her. "Hi," Rin said, sounding lifeless and robotic. Sam nodded and she sighed, leaning back against the tree and closing her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked after a moment, seemingly unable to take the silence any longer.

"To talk," Sam replied. "About you."

"What about me?" Rin asked, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Actually about your little problem," Sam said, glancing around the make sure nobody was nearby. Rin opened and eye to glance around also before letting out a bark of laughter.

"You call me turning into a wolf every month at the full moon a _little_ problem?" she asked incredulously.

"Sure," Sam replied with a shrug. "Now if you were killing people that would be a slightly bigger problem. It's a bit of a pain to get silver bullets when you don't know the right people to ask."

"Silver bullets?" Rin asked, shaking her head and staring at him blankly. "You're serious," she said after a moment, turning back to look around them. "Is there something wrong with you?" She reached out and placed hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. She brought her hand away and stared at him. "Why are you taking this so calmly?"

Now it was Sam's turn to be uncomfortable. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked and Rin nodded, her focus entirely on him now. "My mother died when I was a baby. She was suspended over my cradle on the ceiling when my dad came in and she burned up completely. Since then my dad's been hunting things that go bump in the night. That's what he and my brother Dean are doing."

"Why aren't you with them?" Rin asked.

"I decided I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life," Sam explained. "My dad and I had a huge argument before I left for Stanford. We haven't talked since." As if on cue his phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket glancing down at the number.

"Who is it?" Rin prodded and Sam realized he must have had a forlorn look on his face because she was eying him with concern.

"My brother," Sam replied. "He's been calling but I haven't answered yet."

"Why not?" Rin asked impatiently.

"I'd imagine for the same reason you haven't told Jess that you're a werewolf," Sam replied. "I can't handle it." Rin sighed and leaned back against the tree, glaring at the sky.

"What a mess we are," she said, shaking her head. Sam didn't comment, knowing it was true. Rin sighed again and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I'll apologize to Jess for scaring her," she said after a moment. "She'll get over it and I won't make the mistake of going out with her when it's the full moon again." Sam nodded and Rin closed her eyes, tension leaking from her body.

"I'm here to talk if you want," Sam said and Rin nodded once.

"Ditto," she said, a small smile hooking up the corners of her mouth. "Now go catch up to your girlfriend. She'll be out of class soon."

"Yes ma'am," Sam shot back, standing and giving her a sarcastic salute. Her laughter followed him to Jess's class, as warm as a sudden summer breeze on a gloomy day.


End file.
